The Cuban actor and comedian Luis Silva, renowned for his character Pánfilo in Vivir del Cuento, expressed his sorrow this Monday over the passing of actress Paula Alí, who died at the age of 90 after more than six decades of a career on the Cuban stage.
Silva posted a tribute on Instagram accompanied by several photographs of both of them on the set of the popular comedy show, where they shared scenes in multiple episodes.
"I deeply regret the news of the passing of the great Paula Alí. Working until the very end. Always natural and friendly. It was a pleasure to have shared scenes with her in many episodes of Vivir del cuento. EDP," wrote the actor.
Paula Andrea Alí Rivera was born on January 26, 1936, in Candelaria, in what is now the province of Artemisa, and she began her artistic career in 1959 as a model and extra on television.
Over time, she became an essential figure for several generations of Cubans, both in soap operas like Enamorada del mar (1989) and Las huérfanas de la Obrapía (1999), as well as in ICAIC films, where she accumulated more than 30 movies.
In 2003, she received the Best Actress Award at the Cartagena de Indias Festival for Por Nada, directed by Juan Carlos Cremata, and she was particularly beloved for her role as Dr. Rosa Matriz in the comedy Punto G.
The Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) confirmed her death on social media and described her as "one of the most popular and beloved artists among the Cuban people," emphasizing that she left "a particularly endearing mark in comedy, a genre to which she contributed professionalism, naturalness, and charisma that set her apart in the national artistic landscape."
The passing occurs just three weeks after he was unanimously awarded the National Television Prize 2026, the highest honor in Cuban television.
In August 2024, the actress had been urgently hospitalized at the Cardiovascular Institute in Havana, where she made a favorable recovery, and in January of this year celebrated her 90th birthday with a tribute on the Al Mediodía program of the national channel.
The UNEAC concluded its statement with a phrase that encapsulates the weight of the loss: "With Paula Alí, an indispensable interpreter of the Cuban scene disappears, whose work will remain in the emotional memory of our people and in the history of the performing and audiovisual arts of the country."
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